Hello all, I have been tasked by my boss to do some research on drone for SWAT operations. This would be specifically, and mostly for indoor work. I need help with what direction to start my research. I need a product that does.... 1) Can take off and be assembled from the yard of suspect residence. 2) Can fly around outside of house and look into windows 3) Can fly from outside, and into a open front door, and look around the house 4) Easy to fly 5) No more than $10K a piece 6) Can broadcast image to user from out in the yard. 7) Needs to be ready "off the shelf", and without too much custom building I'm starting to look at the Phantom 4, as they are cheap and we can buy new ones if we smash them up. But I worry that they would be too big. Thank you in advance!
Honestly I don't think any models are ready for that kind of work....flying from outside into a building is almost impossible. Such a task would require a unit that had precision (probably lidar) which is unknown with current hobby grade stuff. Strangely enough, some hobby grade stuff is probably more advanced than commercial. The outside of the building is a bit easier - still, seeing in the dark, etc. can be very difficult. If this is a matter of just getting started and experimentation, then the Mavic Pro of Phantom 4 might be something to start with just to find out the limitations. But if you expect to get what you wish for....it's not going to come from the end of the business that we cover. You'd be better off attending some of the government/military trade shows (I think there is one in DC) and talking to various vendors. Or, do some digging around the net - chances are that China is ahead of the US in the use (or prospective use) of security drones, so you may find some unknown companies pursuing these ends. I suspect land based robots are still better at this kind of thing.
